First-Year Krystyn Elek continues to receive accolades for her outstanding season

Elek Named USCHO.com Defensive Player of the Week

By Jesse Corradi '08

March 7, 2007

AMHERST, MA – Amherst College first-year goaltender Krystyn Elek (Summerville, SC) added to her list of accolades this year by being named USCHO.com Defensive Player of the Week. The weekly honor is awarded to the best defensive performance in all of Division III women’s hockey.

Elek, who has already been named NESCAC Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-NESCAC, grabbed the USCHO.com distinction after recording 95 saves in more than 165 minutes in net during two overtime contests in the NESCAC Championship Tournament. By far one of the most impressive athletic performances in Lord Jeff athletic history, Elek turned away 65 of 66 Middlebury shots to seal the triple overtime win and the Jeffs first NESCAC Championship.

This is the second consecutive week Elek has been named USCHO.com Defensive Player of the Week, as she earned the honor for her 32-save effort against Williams College in the conference quarterfinals.

Accompanying Elek in receiving USCHO.com recognition are the Jeffs’ two leading scorers on the season, sophomores Anna MacLean (Edina, MN) and Tarasai Karega (Detroit, MI). Both forwards were named Offensive Player of the Week Runner-Up after each tallied game-winning goals en route to the team’s first-ever NESCAC Championship. Each player made a mark on their NESCAC opponents, with MacLean notching an assist in the contest against Bowdoin while adding two goals - including the game winner -against the Panthers. Karega carried the Jeffs past the Polar Bears as she produced two goals and a game-winner of her own.

With these three standouts leading Amherst, the caliber of play on offense and defense bodes well for the Jeffs as they head to their first-ever NCAA Championship Tournament. They will travel to Rochester Institute of Technology for their first-round matchup this weekend, needing a win to place themselves in the NCAA semifinals.